Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Guests Dine With And Meet With The President, Uninvited.

It wasn't a state dinner, and they didn't crash it on purpose. Still, a Georgia couple who showed up at the White House a day early for a tour somehow wound up at an invitation-only breakfast with President Barack Obama and the first lady.

The White House and Secret Service both said the Dardens went through the appropriate security screenings and were allowed into the breakfast as a courtesy because there were no public tours the day they arrived.

That explanation was news to Harvey Darden, 67, a retired pharmacist, who said he and his wife never were told about the breakfast. They thought they were simply starting their tour until they were ushered into the East Room, offered a buffet spread and told they'd be meeting the president.

Chicago suspect knew of Mumbai attack

A Chicago man accused of planning a terrorist attack against a Danish newspaper knew in advance about a plot to attack Mumbai and offered congratulations to the killers afterward, federal prosecutors charged Monday.

Full Story

Merry Christmas Is Arrested

It won't be a Merry Christmas for Merry Christmas.
The 44-year-old woman, named Merry Christmas, has been arrested for obstruction of justice on Sunday night.

Book 99-years overdue returned to Massachusetts library

The fine came to 361.65, but not required.

The book returned to the New Bedford Public Library in Massachusetts this week wasn't overdue by a week, a month or even a year.

Full Story

Church daycare drugged kids?

Police are investigating Cincinnati's Covenant Apostolic Church day care for allegedly giving kids Melatonin mixed with candy to get them to sleep at naptime. Perhaps they were out of sacramental wine.

From Cincinnati.com:
“The investigation has just begun and the Springfield Township Police Department does not know definitively at this time which staff members were involved in providing the dietary supplement to the children and which children were given (it),” (Police Chief David Heimpold) wrote (in a letter to children's parents). “However, we are providing this information to you at this time so that you can take whatever actions you deem necessary to protect your child or children in the event that they were given Melatonin on one or more occasions..."

The daycare remains open today, but church officials have not responded to several requests for comment. Pastor Shelly Hendricks told WKRC-TV (Channel 12 News) on Monday night that the workers who allegedly gave the drug to the children no longer work there.

Trust firstborns to show their selfish side

Firstborn children are more likely to achieve greatness, but when they play a game for money they are mistrustful and uncooperative.

Trust firstborns to show their selfish side

Small fingers give women a sensitive touch

Women have a more sensitive touch than men, but only because their fingers are usually smaller.

The repugican motto

Afflict the afflicted and comfort the comfortable.

Olbermann

Keith Olbermann does it again.

And I Quote

Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians.

~ Chester Bowles

NC Zoo Says Goodbye To Female Gorilla Who Lost Battle With Cancer

Donna, who was 42 was euthanized Monday after undergoing more than two-and-a-half years of treatments for cancer.

NC Zoo Says Goodbye To Female Gorilla Who Lost Battle With Cancer

Mother Sentenced For Putting Toddler In Boiling Water

Tabitha Rich pleaded guilty to two felony counts of inflicting serious injury to her then-33-month-old son.

Mother Sentenced For Putting Toddler In Boiling Water

Rise and fall of a dinosaur hunter

Nate Murphy made his name as a talented amateur palaeontologist.
Then he found the law was getting in his way.

Rise and fall of a dinosaur hunter

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is

Bills of Rights Day

and

Cat Herder's Day

Daily Almanac

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 15, the 349th day of 2009.

There are 16 days left in the year.

Today In History December 15

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Vigo, Galicia, Spain
London, England, United Kingdom
Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Iceland
Como, Lombardia, Italy
Krefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Banbury, England, United Kingdom
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

On the one hand, you're feeling just about uncontrollably excessive and lavish and extremely (uncharacteristically) unconcerned with a bill that will inevitably arrive next month.
On the other hand, your ordinarily frugal nature is tugging desperately at the back of your mind, just about begging you to try to stop yourself.
Forget that.
It's the time to play.
Why play halfway?
Go ahead.
Have the fun you're after.
All of it.

All of it!